Police identify Wichita man who was stabbed to death; cousin accused

The Wichita Police Department has identified the Wichita man found stabbed to death Wednesday at a home in east Wichita as 34-year-old Michael Montgomery.

His cousin, 39-year-old Jason Payne of Wichita, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, Officer Charley Davidson said in a news release. At around 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a welfare check at 13th and Oliver, where a man, later identified as Payne, was reported to be “lying face down in the middle of the street at the intersection,” Davidson said. Payne was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released.

Davidson said investigators connected Payne to a homicide at a home in the 900 block of North Oliver. Detectives found out that a man had been injured there, and responding officers found Montgomery’s body at the home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between Montgomery and Payne at their home in the 900 block of North Oliver,” Davidson said. “During the disturbance, Payne pulled out a knife and stabbed Montgomery multiple times.”

Police have not said why Payne needed medical attention.

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 1:26 PM.